The invention is an apparatus, system, and method (collectively the “system”) that can display an image to a viewer. More specifically, the system can utilize a plate that is partially transmissive and partially reflective in lieu of expensive prisms such as TIR or RTIR prisms to direct light to and from a modulator.
A key factor in any image display device is light. Light is an important raw material in any image display device. Light is generated by a light source, modulated into an image, and then finalized and focused into an image that is made accessible to a viewer. Within these different action steps, light must be directed from place to place. Light can be a challenging resource to manage because light is comprised of very small units that are capable of moving independent of each other. Light moves incredibly fast, and light readily changes direction upon hitting different objects. The vision of human beings is based on light bouncing around and hitting different objects and reaching the human eye.
In the context of the artificially created images of an image display device, light is conventionally thought of as a precious resource. Many of the optical components in an image display device perform the function of directing light from one place in the optic chain to the next step of the optic chain. This is not a trivial task. At each step in the process, light is inevitably lost. If too much light is lost, there is not sufficient illumination to display an image. As a result, the history of image display devices is dominated by an overriding desire for optical efficiency.
That conventional thinking has prevented innovation in the field of image display devices, and is particularly undesirable and inappropriate in the context of personal displays such as head-mounted and other forms of near-eye displays.